Florida

So this is the slide show of our Week in Florida! We had a BLAST! Who can't when you are at the beach with the sun warming you to the core and a nice salty ocean to cool off in???

I will give you a quick recap of the events:

Day 1: We arrived in the most beautiful place we have seen in ages! We proceeded to Grandma and Grandpa's house to settle in and have dinner with Aunt Sherry. I had to go to bed early, I couldn't keep my eyes open!

Day 2: We were chauffeured to the Fort Myers beach to enjoy some lovely seafood amid a flock of birds who were trying to get some of it. (I survived, but barely. I HATE birds for those of you who do not know!) We took in a few stores and picked up a few souvenirs.

Day 3: BEACH DAY!! Only problem was that we forgot to put sunscreen on some very important parts. We also went to a dinner and a show called Anything Goes. It was a buffet and a great show.

Day4: Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to let us borrow their car for a day without tour guides. We went to Manatee Park to see some Manatees but no luck. Then we toured downtown Fort Myers, drove past Thomas Edison and Henry Ford's winter estates, and went to Sanibel Island. We stopped for a quick game of mini-golf amidst 30 live baby alligators, and yes Steve won...this time. On the way home we got the biggest scoops of ice-cream I have ever seen, but they were delicious. While we were away, Grandma had been making us stuffed cabbages.

Day 5: Adventures took us south to Naples to visit a shopping center called Tin City. It was filled with quirky shops and fun eateries. We enjoyed some ice cream yet again. And as if we did not buy enough wine on our trip to Hermann, we bought some Pina Colada wine made at the Naples winery. That night we went out to dinner to celebrate Grandma's 75th birthday at Bahama Breeze.

Day 6: Steve and I drove back to Manatee park and this time we finally saw one!!! He was an adolescent that was probably waiting for his mother to return, since the park is a safe place for them to hang out. We also experienced another highlight of the trip when we were able to catch the MN Twins during their spring training practice. We were impressed that we could see our favorite team so up close and for free! We returned home to celebrate Grandma's actual birthday at Buca di Beppos. YUM!

Day 7: Took us back to the beach to work on our tan some more. The temperature of the ocean was even warmer than the last time. We finished our lazy day with dinner and another game of mini golf. Steve wanted to get ahead, so he turned the first 9 holes into 1 game and the back 9 holes into another. So Calie got to add two wins to the tally!!

Day 8: Thankfully for us the weather, for the first time, was cloudy and 60 degrees. It made leaving just a little easier.

So that was our trip in a nut shell. We had a great time and are not too happy to be back in St. Louis and back to reality.

Hermann, MO

First Things First

Steve and I have had more excitement and trips in the past few weeks than we have all school year! The weekend of February 16th (Happy Birthday Dad), Steve and I travelled to Hermann, MO with our friends Emil and Heather. (I think this was previously posted.) Hermann is Missouri's wine country.

I know Steve just blogged about our Hermann experience, so I will just shut up and create the slide show... Enjoy!

Quit Your Wining!

Before I get into the blog two quick thoughts...

Today I am privileged to be wearing a certain hat that reads, "Super Bowl XLII Champions." It sure does have a NY Giant logo on it too! Yup, the victory is still sweet. Every fan dreams of being able to watch and enjoy a championship run for their favorite team at least once during their lifetime. Who'd have thunk that this would be the year of the Giants?!? I'm pretty sure that the sweetness of that victory will never leave. Especially with the locker room shirt and hat (thanks Mom and Dad!) to bring back the awesome memories of February 3, 2008. Not sure which player said it before the game but it was something like putting an end to the Patriot dynasty and starting one of our own. Back to back Super Bowls? Sure, why not? You heard it here first…

Second, I am procrastinating. Very much so! Our winter quarter at the seminary ended this past Friday but I still have one more reflection paper to write. It's about 98% done but the last few finishing touches are just not high on my priority list. At least I have another 4.5 hours to get it done today. As I sit here blogging, there is something like 63 days until Call Day. It can't come soon enough! Calie and I are so ready to get the heck out of here! But first I must continue to press on; the spring quarter may just be the busiest and most demanding one yet.

OK, thoughts over and now onto the main course. This past weekend Calie and I, along with our good friends (also Giants fans) Emil and Heather, went to Hermann, MO. It's a very small, old historic German town. Each year, right around Valentine's Day, they sponsor a "Chocolate Wine Tour.” If any of you have ever come out to visit us in St. Louis...chances are we took you out there! Anyways, there are seven separate wineries that partake in the weekend. You head to each winery to sample one of their selected wines with a chocolate dessert accompaniment. It was a weekend thing and so we spent a night in an area Bed & Breakfast. It was a great weekend to just getaway from seminary life and relax with some friends, food, and booze. The town of Hermann is beautiful and we had a great time. We had some tasty wine and chocolate and some not-so-tasty wine and chocolate. FYI: if you ever get the urge to make chocolate waffles or apparently chocolate pasta… resist the urge! But we did stock up on a few bottles of wine that should last us for awhile.

I'm sure that Calie will soon be posting some pictures of our past weekend. In addition to pictures from our upcoming trip to Ft. Myers! The weather there is a nice 84 degrees, a far cry from the 24 degrees in St. Louis. We sure will be spending the next week in Florida—sitting on the beach, stuffing our faces, and hopefully seeing some MN Twins spring training festivities! Grandma and Grandpa here we come!

Kirkwood Tragedy

As many of you have heard, last night there was a fatal shooting at the Kirkwood City Hall. This building is only a few miles away from the International Center where I work. While all of this happened after I had left work, it is none the less shocking. Most people that I work with are residents in Kirkwood.

Kirkwood is the cutest small town among the growing metropolis of St. Louis. It has a cute "downtown" area and a historic train station. I have often thought that it just looks like the perfect place to live. The City Hall is in the center of the town and across the street from a few restaurants and apartments.

While I don't personally know anyone involved, a friend of mine came to work this morning to tell her story. Last night she wanted to grab some coffee at her favorite spot before choir. Thankfully she didn't feel well, so she stayed at home. She would have been there, across the street when the shooting started.

Tragedy such as this one gives us a perfect opportunity to remember that life is short, take advantage of it. It also helps us realize the importance of life and how you should live it. So tell someone you haven't told in awhile that you love them. You never know if they will hear it if you don't tell them now.

Super Bowl Champs!

A Super Win

Yes I am excited to blog about the Super Bowl this year. In years past, I have only really watched the Super Bowl for the commercials, and maybe the half time show, but this year was vastly different! I actually didn't care about the commercials, I wanted to see history made. No, I'm not talking about a 19-0 season, I am talking about the feel good story of the year. The wild card winners that didn't stand a chance, yet each week played with nothing to lose. For those of you living in a hole, I'm talking about the NY Giants.

Our household has had some discussions lately about team loyalty. I can assure all of you out there that my number one love is for the Vikings, no matter how horrible they are. My second choice would be for the NY Giants no matter how good or bad they might be. Really, I just love football. I don't think that my husband shares the same loyalty and ability to spread to love around. He can respond in his own post if he chooses!

We watched this victorious game with the same friends that we have watched all the playoff games with. There are two other NY Giants fans on campus. We realized that we can gather a good looking buffet too! (I am sorry that I don't have pictures right now, I am supposed to be getting some from a friend)

Overall, I was happy to watch such a great down-to-the-wire game, but was disappointed with the commercials. I also think they should just get rid of the half time buisness....just takes too long, and the talent is never really that good. As Steve would say, I had a few issues with the super bowl this year.

Life around the Vera household is never dull, but we are blessed to have each other to tease and love.